Nintendo 2010 Release Roundup

Nintendo showed off its wares to the European press at yesterday's Event in London, finally giving us a glimpse of what they'll be bringing us in 2010. Not that there are too many surprises, of course- but at least Nintendo have dated most of their important franchises. So, in order of release date, here's the roundup!

Monster Hunter Tri (Wii): April 24th. The Monster Hunter series is a beloved staple of Japanese videogame sales, and we've seen several iterations wash up on our shores. Monster Hunter Tri is the first of the franchise to defect from Sony Consoles in the west, and gives players the opportunity to team up with your mates and take down enormous reptiles. Hopefully they'll have fixed the woeful camera issues that dogged its predecessors.

Warioware: Do it yourself (DS): April 30th. We used to love Warioware... until the latest halfbaked Wii version sold us short. However, the DS versions were great, and the latest will offer a larger selection of minigames and control methods. An upcoming Wiiware version will add a bunch more minigames as well as a revamped version of the NES classic Balloon Fight.

Sin and Punishment (Wii): May 7th. Treasure are the legendary developers behind Ikaruga, and are the undisputed masters of the shoot 'em up. Rejoice, ye faithful- for they're revamping their N64 classic with enhanced graphics and gameplay. As a retro shooter aficionado and a raving Treasure fanboy, I can't wait for this one.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii): 11th June. Our second favourite Italian Plumber (after Luigi, obviously) will be returning to the Wii in early June. A playable demo of Super Mario Galaxy 2 was up and running at the press event, and was looking mighty fine indeed- as a flagship franchise, there's no doubt that this game will bring us more cheerful platforming action whilst pushing the Wii hardware to its limits.

Photo Dojo (DSiWare): Spring 2010. Thisplatformer takes advantage of the DSi's camera by allowing you to take several pictures of yourself from several angles- and hence become the protagonist. Whether or not it'll actually work properly remains to be seen, but it's great to see a developer using the DSi's feature set to advantage.

Dragon Quest 9 (Wii): Summer 2010. Square Enix are set to bring the latest iteration of their classic series to Western audiences. It's already shifted over 4.5 million copies in Japan and should give Wii owners the RPG fix they've been craving.

Flingsmash (Wiiware): Summer 2010. Ever played Pain on the PS3? Flingsmash will be much the same, but will be a lot cuter and a lot less painful. Still, smashing stuff is fun- so Flingsmash will probably be a laugh.

Phew, that was a lot of titles! I'm mainly looking forward to Sin and Punishment- as a hardcore gamer (IMO) I'm not going to abandon the Wii just yet.

GAME Closes 43 Stores

GAME, Gamestation and Gameplay bring us excellent deals from time to time- and provided me a safe haven from the bright confusing lights of our nation's high streets. However, recent financial problems are forcing them to close the doors on 43 of their shops as well as a number of Gamestation stores and Debenhams concession stands.

247 jobs will be lost in the closures- and we wish them the best of luck in these tough times. [VG247]

Video Games Sexualise Youngsters, says Home Office

According to an official Home Office Report, computer games play a major role in sexualising young people. Here's some choice quotes for your delectation.

"Many games feature highly sexualised content and there is a notable lack of strong female characters."

"Violence against women is often trivialised,"

"There has also been a marked increase in the number of games depicting various forms of sexual abuse. Many popular videogames effectively reward children for engaging in violent, illegal activity, albeit virtually."

The report recommends that consoles be sold with parental controls in place from Day One to protect our innocent, naive children from the evils of sexy, curvaceous game heroines.

Here's an idea. Parents, why don't you pay attention to your kids and not buy them mature games in the first place?! Or take an interest in your children's favourite hobby and play games with them? After all, hefty fines for retailers mean that they can't buy these games by themselves. [Gamesindustry.biz]

What do you think about the effect of videogames on the youth of today...or on yourselves? Let us know in the comments!

To be honest the Home Office probably has a point...the more I see or hear about Dead or Alive Paradise the more I can't help but worry that the entire development team spent the game's production process locked in a small dark room with nothing but a travel catalogue, softcore porn and some binoculars for their amusement.

Maybe, but remember that mature games aren't aimed at minors- and they can't even buy these titles without an adult present. Violent media's always been a scapegoat for abherrant behavior- but the blame rests with poor/inattentive parents and role models IMO.